Begich Slams McCaskill in Feud Over Alaska Native Corporations

It isn’t the first time an Alaska senator has chastised a colleague for a lack of understanding about his non-contiguous state.

Sen. Mark Begich lit into fellow Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri after she sent a letter to the Small Business Administration administrator seeking details about the use of a small and disadvantaged business contracting program by Alaska Native Corporations.

“It’s no secret many senators still have quite the learning curve when it comes to understanding the unique needs of Alaska. What is especially troubling are those who refuse to take the time to understand our needs and challenges while continuing to take actions intended to unfairly punish and target our way of life,” Begich said in a statement. “I’m afraid my colleague, Senator McCaskill — through her narrow lens as a ‘government oversight and efficiencies guru’ — has trouble understanding Alaska history, even with my repeated attempts to reason with her.”

The feud between Begich and McCaskill isn’t new — the Missouri Democrat has gone after the treatment of the businesses owned by Alaska natives in the 8(a) contracting program before — but Wednesday’s comments from Begich are scathing, nonetheless.

“As you know, in the 1980s and 1990s, Congress passed a series of laws which made ANCs eligible for federal contracting opportunities, including SBA’s 8(a) program,” McCaskill wrote in her letter dated June 30. “Since then, many ANCs have grown to the multi-million dollar corporations that are among the largest federal contractors. In 2009, I held a hearing that highlighted my concerns about ANCs’ participation in the 8(a) program, including a lack of oversight by SBA, the use of ANCs to circumvent the federal contracting process, and that the benefits were not reaching disadvantaged Alaskan natives.”

In his statement, Begich said that the success of the corporations is no reason to take actions that would undercut their eligibility for the SBA program.

“The benefits they provide through the 8(a) program, including scholarships, services, jobs and dividends, support some of the most economically challenged areas of the country and improves the lives of thousands,” he said. “Just because ANC’s have seen economic growth and success, as they were intended to do, doesn’t mean they deserve this type of targeted attack from a sitting senator who simply refuses to try and understand the history and culture of a great state like Alaska.”

McCaskill hasn’t been alone in criticizing the application of the 8(a) program to Alaska Native Corporations, which the Washington Post explored back in 2010. The Post reported that, like with many programs in Alaska, then-Sen. Ted Stevens pushed for the eligibility. Begich is seeking re-election in 2014 in a race that is rated Tilts Democratic by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call. Alaska’s native population was widely viewed as a significant constituency for Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski retaining her seat in a virtually unprecedented write-in campaign back in 2010. Murkowski has also long championed the role of the Alaska Native Corporations.

Congratulations to Roll Call for printing 2 Demtards arguing over an issue. We thought it would never happen.

mikem42

Happens all the time; Dems don’t get their talking points and marching orders from central headquarters (Rove) every morning. And as for your idiotic use of the word demtard, say it to our face, coward.

Yonatan YONATAN

The Republicans and Democrats have both failed the three million unemployed families still without an unemployment extension bill since late last December. When Billions of tax payer dollars have been approved for the Ukraine, and more spent on the defense of Europe, not a cent was given to these families. Sadly, both political parties have walked away from the issue, leaving these unemployed families in financial ruin and deep debt.

mikem42

McCaskill is doing her job as she sees fit, oversight of government program(s). This is yet another program that has been coopted by big business, when it is meant for small sized companies. Just like agriculture subsidies, taken over by the behemoths of the food industry. Begich is doing his thing, and so be it, but he shouldn’t attack someone for doing her job, he should be working to see that the program is working for all in his state, not just the big boys.

grumpy_old__man

I wonder if McCaskill looks with as much rigor at Monsanto.

mikem42

Campaign finance is yet another thing, not related to Senate oversight of a huge program whereby tax monies are going to possibly the wrong recipients. There is room to look at both, but I don’t quite see your point. Monsanto gave her money, she investigates govt. programs, and that looks like a good thing to me.

Gadsden Purchase

History shows that the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of success will be available to many only in a culture that advances fairly rapidly.

Although finding the best way to apply our unique skills and abilities is a tough task in a free country, it is one inseparable from liberty.

Three Friends

It is impossible to understand our complex, distributed, technologically-driven modern civilization without recognizing that each of us is ignorant regarding almost every facet of it.

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About #WGDB

Niels Lesniewski has covered the Senate for CQ Roll Call since January 2010, and more recently as a staff writer and resident procedure guru for Roll Call. Niels holds degrees in both government and theater but sometimes can't tell the difference between the two. @nielslesniewski